


Love is War

by TheLadySif



Category: Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Mischief and Mistletoe 2020, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon, Protective Loki (Marvel), The Warriors Three Deserved Better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadySif/pseuds/TheLadySif
Summary: There was only one major rule that both Loki and Sif collectively and silently agreed upon without having discussed it with each other: the first one to confess their feelings for the other loses.
Relationships: Loki/Sif, Loki/Sif (Marvel)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 50
Collections: Mischief and Mistletoe 2020





	Love is War

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silverducks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverducks/gifts).



> Hey Mischiefmaker! I hope you enjoy the fic! I tried to put quite a few tropes in there along with some hidden references!

They had been fighting- _of course_ , they were fighting... just as they always did to the dismay of their friends and family. Whether it was a battle of wits or battle of fists, it seemed like the fighting was never ending and one of their friends was always getting dragged into their fights one way or another. Today, they were in one of the training rooms inside as there was a terrible storm downpouring over the training yards- no doubt because Thor was in a foul mood again. Loki had been the one to suggest he was a better fighter and warrior than Sif was and Sif had taken him up on his challenge immediately, betting that she could definitely beat him as long as he didn't cheat which is how Fandral ended up judging the fight for them.

Fandral shook his head as he watched Sif throw a punch aiming for Loki's head, but as predicted, Loki had caught her wrist before it could make impact and gave her a smirk. Sif smirked back as she knocked his feet out from under him. Loki held tight to her wrist and pulled her down with him.

They tumbled to the ground, limbs knocking into each other, heads smashing together and then they were rolling again in a moment of clarity in an attempt to pin the other one down. Fandral sighed to himself as he watched their fight go on for _another_ ten minutes.

Sif could feel her chest heaving as oxygen tried to fill her lungs. Loki was breathing in sync with her, his arms shaking as he held himself up and attempting to keep her down. "Just... yield.. already," he demanded between breaths. Sif breathed hard, taking a moment to calm her racing heart.

"Never," Sif answered as she tried to flip them. Loki pulled away in the flip, quickly standing up on shaky legs.

Sif wasn't far behind him and in a moment, she had pinned Loki against the wall. She would not be defeated by him. Her hands holding his wrists in place, knowing Loki could break free any moment. The two of them panted hard, both out breath and giving each other the same dissatisfied look with an unspoken agreement to give each other a moment to take a breather. Loki could feel the pressure against his wrists but it was weaker than earlier. He could break free in a moment. He had nearly caught his breath and he was sure Sif had almost caught her own.

"Why don't you yield?" Sif questioned him right as Loki pushed her away.

They fell to the floor again, both of them trying to gain the upper hand on the other until Loki and Sif were both lying side by side, trying to catch their breath again for five minutes.

Fandral sighed unhappily as he walked over to the both of them, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It's another tie," he complained, pulling the two back to reality. "It's been three hours. I'm calling it a tie."

Sif turned slowly onto her stomach, ignoring all the pain in her limbs as best as she could. "You can't-"

" _No-_ No, no. No, it's a damn tie," Fandral interrupted her while shaking his head.

Loki stared at him in disbelief unmoving from the floor, "You were supposed to declare a winner!"

"You're both winners," Fandral answered as he approached Sif first and helped her up. Sif frowned to herself before throwing a glance at Loki who looked equally unsatisfied. "You both have fought with spears, swords, daggers, and hand to hand combat for the last three hours. _I_ have had enough and _I_ declare it's a tie."

Loki wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "We'll have to settle this someday," he complained when Fandral turned to him and offered a hand. "A tiebreaker to end all tiebreakers."

"This would all be over if you simply yielded, Loki," Sif pointed out to him as she leaned up against a wall, more to keep herself up after the long fight with Loki.

"And lose to you? What a terrible suggestion," Loki argued with her, trying to make sure he wouldn't collapse in front of them. "It would be much more thrilling if you yielded to me."

Little did the others know, but Loki and Sif were currently locked into a terrifying and high-stakes game with one another, which is why they fought so much. There was only one major rule that both Loki and Sif collectively and silently agreed upon without having discussed it with each other: the first one to confess their feelings for the other loses. This Love War had been going on for centuries, but as of presently, the score between their little battles and the whole war of love was... _tied_. Both Loki and Sif were frustrated at how long it was taking to make the other confess their feelings and too stubborn to break the rule themselves and confess any romantic interest in the other. Of course, the only way to win was to use skill and resourcefulness to make the other person confess their love.

After all, it was obvious to Sif that Loki was interested in her. It was clear by the way he acted around her and how differently he treated her from everyone else. Jests and jokes just to make her laugh and his words were laced with suggestion whenever he spoke to her. Even right now, Loki was demanding that _she_ yield to _him_ \- that _she_ should confess her love to _him_. Sif rolled her eyes. If anyone was going to be confessing their love then it would be Loki, not her. Sif had her honor to protect. It simply wouldn't do if she confessed to him. She was a warrior and she had worked long and hard to prove to everyone else in Asgard that she should be a warrior. If she were to confess, there would be assumptions that she only obtained her status because she was involved with one of the princes. She would never hear the end of it from the other warriors if she confessed so it had to be Loki that confessed to her. It was only a matter of time that he would anyway.

Except there was only one problem.... As evident by their sparring match today, Loki and Sif were nearly equal to each other and Loki was determined that Sif would confess her love first, not him. It had become obvious to Loki that Sif was attracted to him. There were subtle shifts in the way she acted around him when he graced the others with his presence. He had caught her on more than one occasion stifling a smile or a laugh when he had made a jest about Fandral or Volstagg and then there had been those times he had caught her watching him. Loki had always respected Sif for the way she had worked hard to become a warrior. He had been almost sure that she hated him, but then, she had developed feelings for him and Loki had debated confessing his seemingly unrequited love to her. Then, the traitorous thoughts worked his way into his head. _What if she rejects your confession?_ No, it was better if Loki waited for Sif's confession. By the time their game began, Loki had no choice but to continue to wait for her confession or as it had become lately, attempt to trick her into confessing her feelings. It had been easy to challenge Sif to a duel when he knew she would accept but she had been determined to prove her worth to him, making the duel last far longer than it should have.

"What would be more thrilling is a fair fight," Sif jolted him out of his thoughts. Loki looked over at her to see her with her hands on her hips. "I had to go easy on you since you chose to fight without your magic."

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. _Two can play at that game_. "If I had fought you with my magic, this fight would have been over ages ago," he told her nonchalantly.

Fandral groaned, interrupting the two of them as he put up both of his hands in defeat. "You'll have to get Hogun to judge the next contest. If the two of you weren't even fighting at full capacity, then I don't want to be around for the next match between you both," He told them both before storming out of the training room.

_Results of Today's Battle: Fandral loses interest_

* * *

Sif stared at her closet. She had quite a few dresses she cycled through whenever there was a feast or big celebration, but there was always one dress that Sif had only ever worn it once. With the upcoming feast and the longstanding tie between her and Loki, she spent a moment to consider her options before grabbing the dress. She was growing tired of this charade with him, but the dress itself would be very effective against Loki and hopefully, it would be just the thing to convince Loki to confess his feelings. There were risks with this strategy, a small chance that Loki might get the wrong idea, but if she played her cards right, then he would confess and the reward would be worth wearing the ridiculous dress. She would have to step up her game a bit as she looked at herself in the mirror with the dress held up to her. Sif went to work on all the preparations she needed: styling her hair, putting on makeup, finding jewelry to match the dress and more. She stepped back in front of the mirror, taking a look at her handiwork before adding the final touch by hiding a dagger under her dress and strapped to her leg. 

By the time she was finished, the celebration had already started and she hurried to not be so terribly late. She stopped at the door and peered in at the feast. It seemed everyone was already drinking and dancing merrily. She spotted Loki on the other side of the room and carefully made her way across to him so that he wouldn’t see her until she appeared next to him.

"Happy Name Day, Loki," Sif said to Loki, appearing stealthily by his side. Loki didn't jump at her unexpected arrival, but tensed briefly before discovering it was only Sif. 

He turned his head to Sif to reply with some clever comment but immediately found himself entranced for a moment by her appearance tonight. The dress Sif wore was dark green with black half circles throughout the bodice and skirt. The plunging neckline was what had stunned Loki for a moment before he realized what he was doing and biting back the retort he was thinking in his head of _Are You My Present?_ All the warning signs in his head were going off with Sif looking the way she was right next to him. _This was a trap. This was one very beautiful, seductive trap. Sif was playing with fire._ Loki was about to speak again when the both of them were interrupted by one of Asgard’s finest warriors. His name escaped Loki’s mind, but he was looking at Sif and asking her for a dance. Loki looked at Sif and then back at the warrior. 

_What an utter fool_ , he thought to himself. _As if she would accept-_

“I’d love to,” he heard Sif say as she took the warrior's hand. Loki stared after her in confusion and Sif glanced back at him over her shoulder as the young warrior led her away to the dance floor, challenging him to stop the warrior. 

_A challenge_. 

Loki had been right. _The dress was a complete and utter trap and this is what Sif wanted_ , he thought to himself again. She was challenging him to ask her for a dance _on his Name Day of all days_. 

What Loki didn’t know was that Sif’s plan did not involve being asked to dance by this warrior, or the next warrior, or the noble that followed after the warrior. She had planned to be next to Loki as much as possible to try to make him squirm or blush since she had chosen to wear a dress in his colors and hope that he would try to compliment her in some way that she could exploit, but clearly she had done too much to her looks as she kept getting asked to dance by different men over and over again. Sif finally tore herself away to the feast, telling one of her newfound suitors that she was ravenous from all the dancing she had done. She quickly positioned herself beside Volstagg and Thor, hoping that the two men could deter any others from approaching. She had just filled a plate with food when she looked up at the person across from her and saw Loki staring back at her with narrowed eyes, nursing a glass of mead. He looked away from her as Volstagg spoke, telling a tale of Loki’s heroics for his Name Day. Sif was distracted during the whole tale, glancing over at Loki who now refused to even look at her anymore. 

Sif picked at her food, no longer feeling quite as hungry as she had been before. She must have looked bored because there was another Noble, sitting beside Thor that attempted to ask her to dance. Sif attempted to dissuade him, but he attempted to persuade her to dance once again. She could feel Loki’s gaze back on her once again and she found herself speechless suddenly. She had tried to speak, but there were no words coming out of her mouth. It was almost like her voice had been magicked away-

“Sif would dance with you but she’s already promised her next dance to me,” Thor told the noble, seeing anger on his friend’s face and incorrectly linking it to this noble next to him. He turned back to Sif as he spoke, “Isn’t that right?”

Sif nodded in agreement, anything to stop another uptight noble from chatting in her ear through a whole dance. Thor stood and offered his hand to Sif, who quickly accepted it. The two of them headed back to the dance floor and Sif looked back at Loki, hoping to catch his gaze again. Instead, she watched him stand from the table and angrily head for the door. At least the dance with Thor isn’t as bad as the dances she had with the warriors or noble, the two of them laughing over their poor dance skills and some of the nobles at the celebration.

Volstagg appears after her dance with Thor, telling her about their plan to have a proper Name Day celebration for Loki away from the rest of these uptight nobles and asking her to take a look around for him since he seems to have disappeared once again.

Sif agreed, making sure to tell another suitor that approached her after Volstagg left that she was going out for some fresh air _alone_. She managed to get away from the celebration and the other suitors, hiding out for a moment on what she thought was an empty balcony. The moment she began to relax, she heard someone clear their throat. She was able to pull the dagger out from beneath her dress and turn to face the intruder, but lowered her weapon upon seeing it was only Loki and not another noble or warrior suitor. 

“There you are,” Sif sighed in relief, setting the dagger aside on the railing and taking a moment to get out of these ridiculous heels that she had worn for the celebration. 

Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance, still feeling bitter over Sif dancing with nearly everyone at the celebration except for him. It was insulting. It was _his_ Name Day, not Thor’s. He didn’t even bother to ask her where she had been hiding that dagger in that dress of hers. Truthfully, he didn’t even feel like speaking with Sif at all. While he felt like he should storm off again, he had been here first and Sif should be the one to go elsewhere. 

Sif noticed how silent Loki was and turned back away from him to lean against the balcony railing and stare at the Bifrost glittering from the Palace to Heimdall’s Observatory. Had she done something wrong? She could have sworn that Loki would have appreciated the dress and the colors, but ever since the feast, she had this sinking suspicion that he was upset at her. She couldn’t imagine why he was angry with her. The two of them had barely talked all night since she kept getting proposition after proposition to dance. She had even looked back at him when the first warrior asked her for a dance, sending him a look that asked for help, but he didn’t say or do anything. He didn’t even try to interrupt the dance like she had thought he would have. Sif closed her eyes, swallowing hard and wanting to hit herself in the head. _Of course_. She was an idiot and she had nearly thrown away all of her hard work. Not only that but now she would have to make a sacrifice in order to make things up to Loki. She took a deep breath and turned around slowly. 

Loki had his arms crossed, looking out over the balcony and avoiding her gaze now. 

“I hope you had a Happy Name Day,” Sif began, the two of them knowing full well that this has not been a happy Name Day for Loki at all. “Would you care to dance with me?” Loki blinked. _Had she just offered a dance?_ He looked back at Sif in surprise. She was fidgeting nervously with her hands and then smoothing out her dress. “It was a fun celebration but it felt like I was dancing with everyone except the person we were supposed to be celebrating. I know there’s not any music or anything-”

- _and no one to interrupt them and ask Sif for another dance,_ Loki thought to himself. _It could very well be another trap like that stunning dress_ _or it could be his one opportunity for a dance with Sif_. 

“One dance,” Loki answered, waving a hand and quiet music filling the balcony around them. He would be an absolute fool if he let this chance pass him by.

Their hearts were beating wildly in their chests as their hands touched. Loki put a hand on her waist and Sif put a hand on his shoulder. He could hardly believe it. He was dancing with Sif and on his Name Day of all days. This had to be one of the best Name Days ever. 

“Do you mind if I...?” She trailed off, looking down at her bare feet and stepping up onto his boots carefully. “The ground is just a bit cold.” 

“Not at all,” Loki answered, wrapping his arm around her to prevent her from falling. He tried not to blush when Sif wrapped her arm around him as well or when she laid her head against his chest. Slowly he moved, spinning them in circles and moving from one side of the balcony to the other.

“Sif?” He said, hoping he wasn’t making a fool of himself with what he was about to say next.

“Yes?”

“You look beautiful,” he whispered to her. Sif couldn’t help the blush that appeared on her face, hoping that Loki wouldn’t be able to see it with her head against his chest.

“It’s a special occasion,” Sif answered quietly. She felt a bit lightheaded from all the spinning, but she hardly wanted the moment to end. 

Their dance was interrupted by the sound of Volstagg’s laugh from down the hall and they separated nearly immediately upon hearing it while the music stopped instantly. The both of them avoided each other’s gaze, hoping that the other wouldn’t see the blush on their face. Sif grabbed her dagger from the railing and picked up her shoes from the floor. 

“Let’s go meet the others. They wanted to do something special for your Name Day,” Sif told him, gesturing for Loki to follow her. “Where’s Fandral?” Sif asked Volstagg and Hogun once they met up with them. 

“He’s off with a lady he’s currently wooing,” Volstagg explained to her as they headed for a comfortable antechamber. “We’ll still be able to celebrate without him.”

“There will certainly be more to drink,” Loki jested, causing Sif to snort. Hogun ignored them and went about creating a fire in the firepit once they arrived.

“With the amount of fools that chased after a dress and a little make up, I think I can drink enough to fill Fandral’s disappearance. You wouldn’t believe the things they said. It was like they had forgotten every time I had beaten them in the training yards. Clearly, I’ll have to show a few of them exactly what I’m capable of,” Sif told them all, filling up a glass of mead and handing it over to Loki before filling a glass for herself. 

The four of them laughed, celebrated, and drank until Thor appeared and then they laughed, celebrated, and drank some more. 

_Results of Today’s Battle: Loki wins a dance_

* * *

Loki felt uneasy the whole journey to visit the Dwarves of Nidavellir. The truth was that he had never fully recovered from the time the Dwarves came to Asgard to demand his lips be sewn shut. He was more uncomfortable now as the Dwarves glared at him but they handed him a bow and an arrow. He wasn’t sure what they were up to but the dwarves gave the rest of the group a bow and a single arrow before they turned to Thor for their demonstration. 

"Think about the target but close your eyes and then release the arrow," a dwarf explained to Thor.

Thor confusedly followed the dwarf's instruction. Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three watched as the arrow hit the target squarely in the chest.

"It's an arrow designed to always hit your target," the dwarf explained as he encouraged the rest of them to take aim at the target

Loki held the arrow up to his cheek, thinking about the target. He was releasing the arrow when his gaze slid over to see Sif doing the same. Her eyes met him briefly.

His arrow flew past the target, bouncing off its surroundings. His eyebrows twisted in confusion as he followed the arrow's path. Then, time slowed down as the arrow's current path became apparent to him. He barely got a shield up before the arrow went crashing into a million pieces once it hit the shield. Sif turned to stare at him as his shield glimmered in front of her.

Loki cursed himself mentally for losing focus, revealing his true feelings about Sif to her and worse, the others around him. It was like a piercing stab ripping straight through his heart. He looked to her to see an absolutely horrified look appearing on her face and the pain in his heart multiplied. _She doesn't want you_. The traitorous thought in his head spoke up. He tried to take a breath to relax, put back up the mask of indifference. Yet, the moment he tried to breathe, the pain in his chest grew and he gripped his chest. Something was so wrong. He looked down, seeing blood staining his hand and something wooden sticking out of his chest but his mind couldn't process what was happening. He could feel a heavy hand on his shoulder and he could feel his legs go limp. However, there was someone behind him and they were able to keep him upright.

He could hear someone speaking and he could vaguely hear the words being made out, "Loki, you have to stay still while we remove the arrow."

 _Arrow_ ? His mind thinking back to his arrow flying around the room, bouncing off different surfaces before it crashed into a million pieces into the shield he conjured up to protect Sif. It couldn't have been his arrow. Then slowly, he was remembering how he was staring at Sif out of the corner of his eye when his arrow released and seeing her looking at him out of the corner of her eyes as Sif released her arrow. The horrified look on Sif's face making more sense with her arrow hitting him straight through the heart. _Ohhh.._ the gears in his mind finally clicked together. The two of them had both lost focus for a split second. Loki had been so caught up with his own arrow and protecting Sif that he missed Sif's arrow entirely. He was in far too much pain to say something about Sif's apparent loss of focus or that she too had just revealed her own feelings for him. He looked back up at her, seeing her stand away from him, a hand covering her mouth to hide part of the horror on her face.

There was only one thing Loki could think about while his vision started to dim.

_He's been such a damn fool this whole time._

_Results of Today's Battle: Loki and Sif lose their focus_

* * *

Sif had been sitting in the healing hall and sharpening her sword carefully when Hogun approached her. He sat down beside her and looked over at Loki, who was currently sleeping on one of the beds in the healing hall. They had nearly lost Asgard's Second Prince but had managed to get him back to Asgard and in the care of the healers just in time before he had lost too much blood. Thor hadn't left Loki's side until Sif had arrived. She apologized profusely for accidentally targeting Loki and promised Thor that she would watch over Loki so Thor could get some sleep. Sif was putting away her sharpening supplies when Hogun finally spoke, "He almost died."

Sif tensed for a moment at the thought before glancing over at Loki. He had been unconscious ever since they had returned and Sif had blamed herself repeatedly for his injury since. She had been on the verge of crying nearly all day and she could feel the tears trying to build up once again as she spoke, "Yes, I wasn't aware of how dangerous those arrows were. One moment of being unfocused and my arrow went in the completely wrong direction."

"Loki was unusually unfocused as well," Hogun remarked to her, looking back at her. "It is curious how his arrow was heading right in your direction instead of that target dummy. He was fortunate to have gotten that shield up in time or else, the both of you could have been here."

Sif avoided Hogun's gaze on her, a feeling beginning to creep up within her about where Hogun was going with this. "Yes, it was very fortunate he stopped the arrow heading for me," Sif tried to reason.

"This little game between the both of you is becoming quite dangerous," Hogun told her simply.

Sif felt all the blood leave her face as she looked over at him in surprise, "Game? Between Loki and I?"

If Hogun were anyone else, he would have raised an eyebrow at her. Instead, he just stared at her, "The two of you are not quite as subtle as you would like to think you are."

"How... long have you known?" Sif questioned him, knowing there was no way that she could deny the game she and Loki were playing with each other if Hogun was confronting her about it.

"There was some suspicion a long time ago, but the actions between the both of you recently have begun to escalate past subtlety and confirmed my suspicions," Hogun explained to her. "I think the two of you are at an impasse and that impasse has been happening for quite some time."

Sif looked away and remained quiet as she turned her attention back to Loki. It was quite some time before she spoke again. "We want the other to confess their feelings," she answered quietly.

"But neither of you has," Hogun pointed out and Sif nodded slowly. "Instead, you're both suffering. This whole thing is getting the better of the both of you. So, what's stopping you?"

"I'm sure that you may have noticed how differently he behaves around me than how he behaves you or the others. I wanted Loki to confess his love for me. At first, it was because of my pride and concern for my honor, but now, it's not just about pride or honor. Loki is a prince and I'm a warrior. We come from different backgrounds-"

"You needed his confession before you could court as equals," Hogun surmised. “What if Loki never confesses? What will you do then?”

“Either one of us confesses or the both of us will end the game and perhaps go our separate ways,” Sif answers after considering what will happen if neither of them confess their feelings. 

Hogun said nothing more and the two of them sat there quietly, waiting for Loki to regain consciousness.

_Results of Today's Battle: Hogun wins Sif's respect_

* * *

Loki opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the bright light pulling him out of sleep. It felt like his whole body was sore and every fiber in his being ached in pain. He blinked slowly, seeing weird shapes moving around him? 

His throat was sore and his entire mouth felt so dry. He turned his head slowly as his vision began to clear up. 

"Our dark and brooding Prince finally awakens," He heard Fandral say much too loud for someone who had just awakened in the Healing Halls. He could make out a glass in Fandral's hand filled with some sort of liquid. Loki slowly reached out for it, careful of his moments with his aching limbs.

He took the glass and slowly drank the bitter healing potion. "What happened?" Loki questioned once he had finished the healing potion and handed the glass back to Fandral.

"You don't remember? We were on Nidavellir-" Fandral began to explain

"Dwarves." Loki groaned, slowly remembering the dwarf and his bow and arrow. "Say no more."

"It's strange that both your arrow and Sif's arrow went flying at both of you instead of those targets," Fandral continued, leaning back into his chair. "-and I thought the Dwarves never had any faults in their weapons.”

“Well, everyone makes mistakes eventually,” Loki answered, trying not to have the conversation he believed Fandral was attempting to put together. "How long have I been here?" he asked, still feeling tired and hoping that Fandral wouldn’t pry more into the situation. He wondered briefly about Sif. He couldn’t imagine what might be going through her head. Would she be upset that she had lost focus and her arrow hit Loki, injuring him in the process?

"A couple of days. I should go find a healer-," Fandral began to stand until he was interrupted as Loki grabbed his arm and winced against the pain in chest. 

"Don't. I could use some more sleep that won't be interrupted by prodding and tests," Loki pulled his arm away slowly.

"Are you sure?" Fandral asked him. 

"I'll be fine," Loki assured him, laying back against the bed. Fandral began to leave but then Loki couldn’t help himself in asking, "How... How is Sif doing?"

Fandral walked back over to him and sat down beside him again. "She's beating herself up over hitting you with that arrow, but Hogun said she spent a whole day here, waiting for you to wake up.” Loki felt his heart skip a beat at the idea of Sif sitting beside his healing bed, and waiting for him to awaken. Would she have apologized profusely or even kissed him in relief that he was still alive? “You should talk to her once the Healers release you-” Loki nodded in agreement as his head began to swim with terrible ideas and Fandral stood up again. “-and perhaps even ask to court her.” 

Loki blinked in confusion, “What did you say?”

“I think this little game between the both of you is becoming too dangerous,” Fandral told him with a wink. “We would want anyone else’s hearts to get injured, would we?” He walked away to let Loki sleep if he could get any sleep now.

_Results of Today’s Battle: Loki loses sleep_

* * *

It seemed like Sif was avoiding Loki once he had been released from the Healing Halls. He had searched nearly the entire palace, stopping every now and then to grant his aching chest a break from his tireless search for the Lady Sif. He finally saw Thor and the Warriors Three out in the training yards and asked them if they had seen Sif. The four pointed Loki in the correct direction to find Sif, hiding out in his mother’s gardens beneath a willow tree. 

“How did you know where I was?” Sif questioned him, hearing him approach. 

“Thor and the others told me where I could find you,” Loki explained, shoving his hands into his pocket. “I need to speak with you. It’s quite urgent. I’m not exactly sure where to start.”

Sif stood and crossed her arms in front of him. _Was this the end of their little game? Was Loki finally confessing or was he ending the whole thing?_ She stayed quiet, waiting for him to speak. 

“The others know about this… game between you and I,” he hesitated to tell her. _Had Hogun confronted Loki as well?_ “At least, Fandral knows and he speaks nearly as much as Thor does. He thinks this… game is becoming too dangerous.”

“Hogun said the same,” Sif added, avoiding Loki’s gaze upon her. “He believes we are at an impasse and that we only have two options.”

“What are the options?” Loki asked her, curious to know what Hogun said. _Is this what they discussed while I was unconscious?_

“Either, this... game ends and we go our separate ways or…” Sif trailed off, refusing to even tell Loki that one of them has to confess. They both know the unspoken rule of their game. 

Loki sighed to himself. _The game would have to end at some point and clearly Sif must not feel the same way toward him anymore. Why else would she avoid him?_

“I’m not a Princess,” Sif blurted out at him, bringing him out of his thoughts and he stared at her in confusion. “Lady may be my title, but I am a Warrior of Asgard. The two of us are from different backgrounds-” The gears in his head began to turn, trying to figure out her cryptic messages until everything clicked into place. _She was telling him why she couldn’t confess, wasn’t she?_ “We’re so different. I thought I could forget about that-”

“I thought you hated me,” he interrupted her. It was his turn to explain why he hadn’t confessed. Maybe then, Sif would see why she had to be the one to confess. To put his mind at ease about confessing his love. “Then, one day, everything seemed to change. You laughed at my jokes and then this whole thing happened, but I’m still waiting for everything to change again. I thought you might be pretending-”

Sif shook her head at him. She couldn’t listen to this anymore. He was trying to tell her why he couldn’t confess, but she couldn’t play this game anymore. _Was he just tricking her the whole time? Did he truly not feel anything toward her?_ “Stop. No more. I can’t do this…” She turned away from him and started running as fast as she could. 

Loki felt his heart sink in his chest and then, there was only one thought left in his head. He started running after her, ignoring the pain it was causing him until he used his magic to create a root she would trip over. Sif tripped according to plan and Loki was able to catch up to her as she was trying to stand. “Stop running,” he demanded, grabbing her wrist. “I just wanted to speak with you.”

Sif tried to pull herself free. “Stop-”

“I didn’t want to do anything that would make you start hating me again,” Loki explained to her, refusing to let go.

“You’ve done nothing to make me hate you,” Sif answered, looking away from him.

“Then, why would you run away?” He questioned her. 

“We almost lost you,” Sif whispered to him. “ _I_ almost lost you because I messed up. I lost focus when I should have been paying attention.”

“Sif, it wasn’t your fault,” Loki told her, pulling her closer to him. “I...wasn’t paying attention. I lost focus too and I chose to protect you instead. I didn’t even think about your arrow. Even when it pierced my chest, I didn’t even register your arrow hitting me. My mind was still elsewhere.”

Sif turned to face him, confused about why he hadn’t noticed an arrow piercing his chest. “What were you thinking about?” She questioned him.

“You looked so horrified. I thought… I thought you realized and… I couldn’t handle-” Loki swallowed hard. _He was afraid. Sif was here in his arms and he was still afraid._ _After all this time…_ Loki shoved all the thoughts out of his brain. He’s had enough of this whole thing. He can’t take another minute of this. “I can’t lose you, Sif. That’s why I protected you from that arrow. That’s why I’ve let this game between us continue for so long. I’d rather play this game between us or lie about it or trick you and everyone else to avoid the truth of how I really feel, but I can’t lose you.” Slowly, he grew closer and closer to Sif as he spoke, but it still seemed like he was waiting on her confession, unable to kiss her without actually knowing that she reciprocated his feelings.

Sif took a moment to breathe before she spoke, “I can’t lose you either. I had been following my arrow’s path, trying to determine why it went so off course. Then, your shield appeared in front of me and with your arrow smashing straight into it, I realized that mine would be headed right for you. I was a moment too late, distracted by the shield that the arrow nearly pierced your heart. I thought I had killed you. I spent the entire day after I left the healing hall in my chambers, worrying that you wouldn’t wake up and that I wouldn’t be able to tell you that I can’t lose you either.” 

The two of them surged forward, holding each other tightly, and kissing each other with enough passion to make up for the years they had wasted on this silly game in the first place. It wasn’t clear who moved first, but in the end, it didn’t matter. The Game of Love, the War of Love, the whole charade was finally over.

_Results of Today’s Battle: The Lovers Win_

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps in the future, I'll have to add in the bonus scenes that didn't get completed on time, but let me know what your favorite battle was!
> 
> Also this is shamelessly and completely inspired by an anime and recommend you all check out. The title is the same name as the anime.


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